Obama Staffers Make Six-figures As Sequester Cuts Hit

The White House has stopped giving public tours, but nothing has been said about whether senior staffers will be laid off or furloughed because of the sequester.

The candidates for these reductions, which are occurring among lower-level government employees, are many, Fox News reports.

For instance, among the many six-figure “assistants” on the White House payroll include three in energy and climate change: Heather Zichal, a deputy assistant for energy and climate change, who is making $140,000 a year; Nathaniel Keohane, a special assistant for energy and environment; and Dan Utech, a deputy director for energy and climate change.

Together, their salaries totaled over $370,000 last year, according to White House records.

Keohane, who served through his job on the White House Domestic Policy Council, the Obama administration last year to join the Environmental Defense Fund, Fox reports.

While decisions made through the Secret Service to suspend the White House tours, others are watching to see which cuts the administration makes in its own staff — and where and how deep.

According to the latest 2012 salary figures, 20 White House staffers were making the maximum $172,200, Fox reports. Press Secretary Jay Carney and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett are among this group of employees.

Many have the title of “assistant to the president,” Fox reports.

But the next level of employees include dozens of “deputy” assistants and “special” assistants to the president — and many of them make six-figure salaries, Fox reports.

A Fox review of the 2012 salaries show that 139 White House staffers make $100,000 or more.

White House Deputy Press Secretary John Earnest said on Friday that the White House will be affected by the sequester much like other agencies — and will impose furloughs in some way.

“We're also faced with making some tough decisions when it comes to ongoing projects, when it comes to purchasing equipment and supplies,” Earnest said, Fox reports. “But we're also a pretty personnel-heavy agency, if you will. So that means ... there will be employees of components who work here at the White House that will be facing pay cuts, that will be facing furloughs.”

The White House has stopped giving public tours, but nothing has been said about whether senior staffers will be laid off or furloughed because of the sequester.
The candidates for these reductions, which are occurring among lower-level government employees, are many, Fox...